Aubreyan — Lazette Gifford

[The Dark Staff Series -- Book 1] Having the attention of the gods is not always a blessing...The long, magical wars ended when the elves left the lands of men, conjuring an impenetrable barrier to keep the humans out of their new realm. They left man only with the sorcery he could create, taking all the creatures of magic to Ishan with them... except for one...Sometimes, in the shadowy night, a voice whispered to ambitious men... a soft woman's voice, seducing them with her promises of power. Come to me, come to me. Generations after the war, a barbarian warlord from the north heard her call and survived to release an evil, intelligent staff from her ancient bonds... and his actions attracted the attention of both gods and demons back to the world of Ylant. The warlord's unwanted son, Aubreyan, is a pawn between the gods and the demons. He must save the world not only from his father's mistakes but also from his own acts of ignorance. With the help of Tristan -- an elf -- he sets out to destroy the staff called the Kiya Chanda Andee. Aubreyan is the first of an eight-book fantasy series that will take the two heroes to other realities in pursuit of an evil the gods have enjoined them to contain and destroy before the gods and demons themselves are forced to battle.